


you can't know where your going (you fell in love with a storm) (The Three Bad Wolves)

by MadHare0512



Series: fantasy seems to have become reality (love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment) [6]
Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angelina is a bitch - Freeform, Angelina tries but Monroe is very much in love with his partners, Annoyance, Arson, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blutbaden mark their mates, Canon-Typical Violence, Caretaking, Character Death, Episode: s01e06 The Three Bad Wolves, F/M, Fire, Gen, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Hap Lives, Hospitals, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Marking, Mentioned Bombs, Monroe loves his accident prone Grimm, Monroe used to be in love with Angelina, Multi, Nick Burkhardt had PTSD, Nick always wants to know more about his lovers, Nick is friendly with CSIs, Nick will also hunt someone down if they hurt his lovers, PTSD, PTSD mentions, Police Proceedings, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Protective Monroe (Grimm), Protective Nick Burkhardt, Protective Rosalee, References to Drugs, Rehabilitation, Rosalee does NOT like Angelina, Rosalee will happily hunt someone down if they hurt her boys, Sleepy Cuddles, The Author Regrets Nothing, Toxic Relationships, altered timeline, and a homewrecker, but not anymore, but not like explicitly stated, don't do drugs kids, idk if you can tell but I don't like Angelina, only mentioned - Freeform, sleeping, story telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadHare0512/pseuds/MadHare0512
Summary: Remember what you worked for when your toxic ex-lover comes back into your life, wanting to make a home with you like they never left and took your heart with them. Remember what they said, what they did, and how they made you feel. They'll tell you that you're crazy and that they wouldn't do that, or they'll pretend there's nothing wrong with what they did to you and you're not remembering things correctly.Remember what they did, don't let them confuse you or manipulate you into going back to old ways that are best left forgotten. Remember who you love now and don't let those people go. Don't leave the people who stood by you when things got hard for the person who made things hard. Remember these things, because the moment you forget your ex-lover wins.You fell in love with a storm, my dear. It is foolish to think you'd come out unscathed."Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in," said the wolf to the pig. "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the pig to the wolf.
Relationships: Angelina Lasser/Monroe, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Monroe & Hap Lasser, Nick Burkhardt & Hank Griffin, Nick Burkhardt/Monroe, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert/Monroe, Rosalee Calvert/Monroe
Series: fantasy seems to have become reality (love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617997
Kudos: 36





	you can't know where your going (you fell in love with a storm) (The Three Bad Wolves)

**Author's Note:**

> If you can catch the reference I left, congrats. You are a cool person regardless, but I'm very happy to inform you that you know of or have watched one of my favorite shows as a kid.
> 
> I really hope you guys liked this one, I spent forever and a hundred rewrites trying to make it perfect. I had to go off script for some of it, but it's here and I'm excited to share it. Thank you so much for reading!

you can't know where your going (you fell in love with a storm)  
(The Three Bad Wolves)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Canon Divergence, Altered Timeline**

Remember what you worked for when your toxic ex-lover comes back into your life, wanting to make a home with you like they never left and took your heart with them. Remember what they said, what they did, and how they made you feel. They'll tell you that you're crazy and that they wouldn't do _that_ , or they'll pretend there's nothing wrong with what they did to you and you're not remembering things correctly.

Remember what they did, don't let them confuse you or manipulate you into going back to old ways that are best left forgotten. Remember who you love _now_ and don't let those people go. Don't leave the people who stood by you when things got hard for the person who _made_ things hard. Remember these things, because the moment you forget your ex-lover wins.

You fell in love with a storm, my dear. It is foolish to think you'd come out unscathed.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

_"Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in," said the wolf to the pig. "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the pig to the wolf._

It was dark and mostly quiet that night, the only sounds anywhere around were faint and mostly forest noise. However, there was one house that produced the sounds of life that broke through the cool night air.

Smoke rose from the burning end of a lit cigarette, rising into the eyes of the man smoking. The man paid the smoke no mind, eyes focussing in on something different. He took another drag of the cigarette and then put it out in the take-out container, stretching over in his comfortable chair to reach it. The man reached up and rubbed tired eyes, wiped the sweat away from his forehead, and took a drink from his glass.

He stood, intimidating and tall at 6-foot 3-inches. He raised his arm, holding tightly to a shake weight, and began to follow the on-screen instructor on the television. His eyes were attentive, even as his head wandered a bit. He'd done these exercises so many times he could do them in his sleep, actually had once. The man pulled a freshly lit cigarette from his lips and blew out the smoke, settling himself on his haunches. He decided this time to be a bit creative with things and began shaking the weight around, happily bouncing in place as he took another drag of his cigarette.

Then he lost his grip on the Shake-Weight, sending the still vibrating object flying out the window and to the ground below. The man stilled, looking at the glass hole in shock. Then he sighed, blowing smoke from his lungs, "Bummer." With that, he headed outside to get his weight loss device, wanting to hurry this along so he could get back to exercising. Ironically, when he found the no longer moving device and leaned down to pick it up, a loud explosion rocked the ground beneath him. He didn't fall, only turned and watched the fire in awe. "Woah..." he said, taking another drag on his cigarette.

Another explosion sent him ducking for cover and he decided he should probably call the police. He began walking over to the neighbor's house to do so, completely missing the shadowed figure growling softly in the distance.

But I suppose, when your mind is addled by drugs and other such self-remedies (or pleasures as the case may be), maybe we can forgive an oversight.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Despite knowing his partners for a few years now, Nick sometimes felt like he didn't know his lovers as well as they knew him. They cared for him when he was sick, knew just what to say to ease his mind, knew how to distract him into a better mood, or what to do to comfort him when he was feeling low. They knew his favorite songs, his favorite shows, his favorite movies, even his favorite book series (though he didn't often read, he still had the major books and series sets he'd loved **(1)** ).

When they revealed to him that they were _Wesen_ , he had been angry, but now that he understood better, understood _them_ better, he wanted to know what they'd left out about their pasts. Monroe was in the middle of telling a story about him and his ex-girlfriend when Nick's phone rang and Hank was telling him that they had to go to the scene of an arson case.

" _Arson_ case?" Nick asked curiously, it wasn't often he and Hank were asked to help with an arson case. Usually, no one was around to tell the tale and the arson investigators would take the case completely. "Was anyone hurt?"

" _No one was hurt, thankfully. The owner made it out to the front yard just before the place exploded. His name is Hap Lasser._ " Hank gave him the address and Nick agreed to meet him.

Nick turned to Monroe apologetically, "I've got a case."

Monroe nodded, "Of course. Go on. I'll tell you the rest later." He handed Nick a coffee-filled thermos and pressed a kiss to toffee-scented hair. (Nick had once asked Monroe his good his sense of smell is. Monroe had named off every single thing Nick had come into contact with and proceeded to tell the younger that he naturally smelled like fresh soil and toffee. Nick had thought he'd find this surprising, but was happy to say he wasn't surprised at all.)

Nick wouldn't credit himself as a very intelligent man (though his partners both working and romantic would disagree), but he felt like a genius when he met the victim for their case. This was not to say he thought the man was dumb; Nick would never say that about another person. It was to say that this man didn't seem to have both feet in the here-and-now, as evidenced by the fact that he seemed more worried about his possessions than his own life.

"Oh man," Mr. Hap Lasser groaned as he leaned down and picked up what looked like a giant cardboard vinyl record. "Not my iron butterfly."

Nick exchanged glances with Hank, then repeated, "Mr. Lasser, you said you walked outside just before it exploded?"

"Well, yeah, Detective." Mr. Lasser pointed up to the house, "If I'd have been in there, I wouldn't be out here."

Nick had never wanted to smack someone before **(2),** but some people really challenged him. Mr. Lasser seemed to be one of those who would challenge his patience and Nick knew he'd have to work extra hard to curb his frustration.

Then Mr. Lasser noticed something else and was brushing past Nick and Hank to get to it. "Aw. Xena: Princess Warrior, Issue 17. This was a classic!" he cried, kneeling before the burnt comic with a cut-off whimper of agony.

And it wasn't like Nick didn't empathize; if his house went up in flames, there were quite a few things he'd mourn the loss of, but he also knew that they needed to get on with the investigation and these distractions weren't helping anyone. "Mr. Lasser, we have a lot of people investigating the explosion. If you were involved in any kind of bomb-making, now's the time to let us know before anyone else gets hurt."

"Bomb-making?" Mr. Lasser asked with a smile. "Me? I wouldn't know how to do any of that." He chuckled nervously. Then his face grew somber and his face flickered a bit before shifting into a _Wesen_ Nick was intimately familiar with. Nick felt the panic swell within him just like every time he was faced with a _Wesen_ case, and he flinched back minutely as flashes of the postman's violence and Hulda's _woge_ came to mind before he could push them away.

"Everything I love was in there," Mr. Lasser murmured sadly. The _woge_ faded as he continued, "My entire life. My brother's baseball cards. If my brother knew about this he would crap a car."

Nick glanced over at Hank to gauge if Hank had seen his reaction, then turned back to Mr. Lasser. Hank asked, "Shouldn't he be happy you're alive?"

Mr. Lasser sounded tense when he replied, "How's he gonna hear?"

Nick had a sneaking suspicion, but he offered his phone anyway, "Hey, you're going to need a place to stay tonight. Why don't you give your brother a call?"

Mr. Lasser shook his head, waving the phone away, "Your cell phone's not that good, Detective." His voice cracked a bit as he croaked, "He didn't make it out."

"Didn't make it out of what?" Hank asked in confusion.

Nick's suspicions were proven correct when Mr. Lasser replied, "His double-wide. The same thing happened to him last month with him in it." With a huff, like it was an inside joke, "He's so dead."

Nick wondered over that for a few moments, knowing that this wasn't a coincidence. He almost wanted to drop the case and crawl back into bed where he could hide for the next three years, but the curiosity he felt won out instead. Why had Mr. Lasser been targeted and what did his brother have to do with it?

More importantly; would the person who targeted him try again?

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

They got Mr. Lasser back to the precinct and let him call someone to stay the night with. "Yeah, just _boom_! Man. It's like- It's like a crater, the old dome is toast." A pause, "But I-I-I got nowhere else to go. So, h-how 'bout it, man? J-Just 'til I get back on my feet."

Nick glanced at Hank, who shook his head. They needed to get on with the questioning. Nick headed over to tell Mr. Lasser to wrap it up.

"Please? For old time's sake?" Mr. Lasser pleaded into the phone, then glanced at Nick with a nod, "I-I gotta go, they're all up in my grill." Mr. Lasser set the phone down and followed Nick to the detective's desk.

"So, let's try to figure out who might want to harm you." Nick made to sit down.

"Detective, listen, bro." Mr. Lasser spread his arms, shaking his head as he explained, "I'm a pretty happy guy. It's the reason why the name "Hap" works so well for me. I love everybody and everybody loves me. Even the guys I owe money to."

Nick's patience was tested again as he sighed and replied, "Follow me."

They spent the next hour going over everyone Mr. Lasser owed money to and they were finally nearly done. People he owed money to included Samson Termin, 30,000 dollars for a car that had gotten wrecked; Trisha Myer, 2,500 for a silver necklace Mr. Lasser had pawned by complete accident; and "Uh, Jimmy Damon, I'm into him for about 3 grand. I-It was a bar thing."

Nick glanced up and then back at Hank, "A bar tab?"

"No, Jimmy Damon was for a bar that I opened, he was one of my backers. It was a really, really great idea. You actually had your own bar right there at your table. We lost our shirts." Mr. Lasser went back to the pacing he'd taken up to help him think. "Um, then there's, uh, Sammy Runyon. I owe him a couple of grand, strip mall creperie. Do you know those really thin French pancakes? Now, pancakes are the new cupcakes. Or at least, they should've been." Mr. Lasser got this gleam in his eyes, "In fact, maybe I can interest you guys in a really unique investment opportunity."

Hank cut in before Mr. Lasser could continue, "Was your brother on the hook with any of these guys too?"

Mr. Lasser shook his head, "No, man." He sighed, "Rolf was what you would consider a solid citizen." He pulled out the chair they'd set out for him and sat down with a heavy breath.

"Did any of these guys ever threaten you?" Hank asked.

Mr. Lasser nodded, "Yeah, all the time. It's just talk, right?"

Nick thought then, "Loan sharks break bones, they don't usually blow people up. Makes it harder to get paid back." Loan sharks had been even more brutal in New York, where people had shorter tempers and less patience. Nick had seen first hand the effects of loan sharks in the Big Apple and he was grateful they weren't so harsh in Portland. He'd still track each of them down and throw them all in jail without the slightest of hesitation if he could.

"According to the record, your brother's death was never investigated as a homicide, but due to the similarity of circumstances, can you think of anyone who'd want to harm you _and_ your brother?" Hank asked.

Mr. Lasser answered too quickly for Nick's liking, which made Nick think that he wasn't telling them something. "No, we didn't hang around the same people." Nick wondered if Mr. Lasser wasn't saying anything to protect someone or if this was a _Wesen_ thing that Nick hadn't gotten to in the books and journals again.

"Excuse me," called an officer. "This guy says he's here to pick up your vic."

Nick glanced back and smiled, surprise flickering across his features. It wasn't often Monroe could visit the precinct, it had only happened twice thus far in Nick's Detective career, but he was happy to see one of his lovers regardless. Mr. Lasser got excited, "My main man, Monroe! I knew you wouldn't bail on me!" He stood and bounded over, arms open as he called, "Buddy!" Monroe looked supremely uncomfortable as Mr. Lasser came in for a hug. Monroe lowered himself, compacting his body as Mr. Lasser wrapped his arms around Monroe's shoulders and picked him up to spin him around.

Nick looked over at Hank, "I've got this one."

Hank nodded, "I'm gonna go find the arson investigator and tell him we're coming down."

Nick nodded back and stood, heading over to the pair and asking, "You know this guy?"

Mr. Lasser replied, excitement making his smile look a bit manic, "Yeah, this is my main man, Monroe. I told you he'd come didn't I?"

Nick nodded and glanced at Monroe, then tilting his head. Monroe sighed, "Hap and I went through a treatment program together many years ago. You have to, you know, honor the bond." Monroe looked a bit reluctant, which was understandable, but still asked, "Can I take him out of here?"

"Yeah, c-can I go?" Mr. Lasser added in.

Nick nodded, "Yeah, you can go. But you might want to lay low for a couple of days until we figure out what's going on here."

Monroe tilted his head in that very adorable was he does when he's confused and asked, "You think someone's trying to hurt him?"

Nick shook his head; the motion was so small it was nearly imperceptible. "We don't know. We'll keep an eye on him for a few days; he should be fine." He offered a small smile, the cop mask softening just a bit.

"Wow, you guys know each other?" Mr. Lasser broke in.

"You could say we've met," Monroe replied.

"Yeah? Where'd you guys meet? At a party?" Monroe looked at Nick, silently asking how they wanted to answer that question.

Nick was happy for Mr. Lasser at that moment because he wasn't entirely sure how to say that you met someone by thinking they were involved in a break-in to said someone's childhood friend. "Oh, no, you didn't get arrested for doing some of the stuff you used to do, did you?" Mr. Lasser asked.

That just raised more questions for Nick, who glanced at Monroe with a raised eyebrow. Monroe clearly didn't want Nick to know about that yet, evident in the way that he quickly grabbed Mr. Lasser's shoulder and began pushing him out the door. "All right, let's go. Come on. Time to go."

Nick watched fondly as Monroe herded Mr. Lasser out the door. Monroe glanced back and gave the usual goodbye and 'I love you's, but not aloud. Nick smiled, then headed back to his desk. Hank managed to find the arson investigator who handled Rolf Lasser's case. They were in luck, he was still working. They headed down there as quickly as they could manage. They met with the man, Lt. Peter Orson, who showed them the terrible pictures from the accident.

"So, you believe both explosions were accidental?" Nick asked to confirm.

Lt. Orson nodded, "Yeah, that's how it appeared to me. The inlet valve on the propane stove from the geodesic dome was corroded, not exactly unheard of in this wet climate. So we had a propane leak."

Nick took the offered pictures and pointed out the absolutely destroyed double-wide to Hank, showing him different areas of similarities to Mr. Lasser's home. The double wide was completely demolished, the entire home burned and charred beyond all recognition.

The Lieutenant continued, "The guy's breaker box was out of code. He turned on one appliance too many. There was a spark, that was the point of ignition. Now, in the older brother's double-wide," Lt. Orson pulled up pictures from the double-wide, "We had a nicked propane line. It was right next to a frayed extension cord. Plus there was severe rodent infestation. Now, these rats, what they like to do is sharpen their teeth on power cords. Same principle, right? You got gas plus a spark." He lifted his hands and spread the fingers, mimicking an explosion, "Boom, same result."

Nick nodded, "Now is it possible that some _one_ corroded the valve or frayed the cord?"

Lt. Orson followed along the line of thinking, "I get it, they're brothers. It's a very weird coincidence. I tried to find a connection between the gas companies; there wasn't any. The service companies were different, as well. Anything's possible, but I've got nothing here to indicate foul play." He turned and grabbed another paper, "I did have the C.S.U. team pull some prints off the valves and the tanks. Nothing was a hit on the database." He handed the paper over to Hank, "And you guys know how this works. I-I-I can't base my conclusions on the fact that both victims were related."

Nick read off a line that made him curious, "It says here that you were contacted by an insurance adjuster."

"Yeah, whenever there's a loss of life we try to work the case off our desk quickly to aid the beneficiary." The man nodded.

"You know who the beneficiary was in the first brother's death?" Hank asked.

Lt. Orson shook his head, "I'm not given that information unless it's a criminal case but _typically_ it's next of kin."

Nick watched the other man carefully. Unless he missed his guess, Lt. Orson seemed anxious about something. He wasn't meeting their eyes if he could help it and he was fidgeting a bit more that usual. Nick could've chalked it up to nerves, many of the arson investigators he'd met had a kind of nervous air, maybe due to their work with fire, but this didn't seem like nerves.

It seemed like something else. Before he could act on the thought, Nick's line of thought was broken by Hank asking, "I wonder how many are in the family."

Nick nodded, glancing back over his shoulder, "We should talk to Mr. Lasser."

"Okay, you do that, and I'll contact the insurance company." Hank's voice was soft; like he'd picked up on Nick's wondering about Lt. Orson and was willing to work with it. Which very well could've happened, Hank was very perceptive when it came to Nick's exceptional people skills.

"Well, I'm here if you guys need me for anything else and keep me in the loop. I'd love to know if we've got a bad guy here."

Nick and Hank nodded their agreement and headed back upstairs.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Across town, a motorcycle headed up the street and roared through the town, revving the engine louder than would be socially acceptable. It idled to a stop outside a familiar house and listened inside.

Inside, Monroe showed Hap where the bathroom was. "You can wash up in there. I aim to keep the toilet clean, Rosalee will not be happy if we don't. _You're_ aim will help. I shower at 7:15 every morning after pilates. Please don't run the water at that time, I like full pressure." What went unsaid was that he could sometimes convince Nick to join him when he went into work later than normal and Monroe used the water to disguise what went on there. Nick never minded and Rosalee would sometimes make it a free-for-all by joining them as well.

"Gotcha!" Hap agreed easily.

Monroe handed over the clothes. "Here's something to wear. What else?" He headed in through the living room.

"You went to Brown?" Hap asked, reading the name off of the shirt.

"Grad school," Monroe replied.

"You never told me that, Professor." Hap chuckled, "Hey, how about some underwear?"

Monroe stopped and sighed, then turned. When he caught sight of Hap messing with his clock, "Oh, no, no, no! Don't touch my clocks. Okay?"

His voice was deadly serious. Hap backed off immediately. Monroe nodded to himself, "Sofa pulls out into a bed, I'd let you have the guest bedroom but it's full of storage right now. I like to finish breakfast by 8:30 in the morning, the kitchen's in here." He headed for the kitchen, "This is the kitchen."

Hap followed, "Hey, you don't happen to have any Schnapps, do you? And what about dinner, do you wanna get take-out? 24/7 Pork delivers and if it's more than 20 minutes it's free."

Monroe almost wanted to choke his friend as he turned to face him, "Pork and Schnapps? Really?" He'd gone vegan for a reason, he didn't plan on going back anytime soon. He could handle the scent, Nick would sometimes come home smelling like a raw beef because he'd chased a suspect through a meat factory and Rosalee's customers at the Spice shop would bring their lunches in with them every chance they got, but he refused to go back to that diet.

"No, peppermint Schnapps." Then, like it was any better, "Then pork."

Monroe sighed, "Oh, dude." Hap wasn't following the program to the letter like Monroe was, but he wasn't killing people so perhaps his method worked too.

Hap got melancholy, "Look, bro. I realize this is a little inconvenient for you. It's a little inconvenient for me too. So, if you want me to leave, just say 'Hap, dude, you're a good old friend. We shared some times. But this is my space and you're not welcome in it'."

Monroe sighed again, feeling like a big jerk, and shook his head, "You're welcome here, Hap. I just... didn't _plan_ on introducing my partners to an old friend so soon. With how unexpected this is, I was unprepared. It's throwing me for a loop, man, but it's not your fault. You can stay."

Hap's face broke out into a big grin and he came in for a hug.

Monroe backed away a step or two and raised his arms, "But no hugs." He wasn't comfortable with the kind of hugs Hap gave, the kind that swept him off his feet, they reminded his too much of the old days with the pack. This wasn't exactly a _bad_ thing that Hap did, just not something Monroe was okay with.

Hap backed right off, "All right, awesome. Wild times!" Hap fist-pumped the air, excitement rolling off of him in waves.

Monroe ignored the urge in him that wanted to shed his human form and run through the woods, "I'm done with the wild times, Hap."

"Right," Hap replied. "I can see that. Look, bro, I cheated death last night. If that's not a wake-up call, I don't know what is. I'm going to clean up my act. This time, for real. Starting tonight with you."

He said it with such conviction, Monroe really did believe him. "Okay."

They exchanged a "bro-hug", clasping hands and leaning in. Hap started toward the fridge, humming happily to himself as he set the clothes Monroe had given him on the counter.

"Hey, by the way, I can smell the cigarettes on you, man. Don't smoke in the house, Nick gets sick off the smell. Make sure you change before he gets home and I'll throw your clothes in the washer." Monroe requested. Hap shouted back an affirmative and then lumbered into the bathroom. Two minutes later, Monroe was throwing his old clothes in the washer and airing out the house as he sprayed Febreeze to help cover the smell.

Hap went back to raiding the fridge. "Now, how about you tell me when you got those partners of yours?"

Monroe smiled a bit and launched into a story about how they'd met. He was always happy to talk about his lovers.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Nick wouldn't say he was happy to be home just yet, as he still needed to talk to Mr. Lasser. However, he could feel a small amount of tension seeping off of his shoulders as he gazed at the place that had become his home not that long ago. He wasn't aware of the person sneaking up on him until he turned to get out and suddenly had a face full of glass. He jerked back, belatedly raising a hand to protect his eyes, and in that time was roughly grabbed and torn from his car. He was thrown to the ground, which he hit with a pained groan.

He tried to stand, stumbling to his feet and reaching for the gun on his hip, but then he was tackled and the gun flew out of his hand. A growl vibrated through the air, ringing deep in his ears as he grunted in pain again. They straddled his waist, a snarl slid through the attacker's clenched teeth as Nick met their eyes. A shudder traveled up his spine, electricity crackling along his skin as he saw another _Blutbaden,_ this one seemingly female. She pushed off of him, backing away several paces, and then said, "A Grimm?"

Nick didn't hear whatever she said next, too dazed and unfocused to understand, but he looked around and spotted his gun, he made a dive for it. Someone shouted, but Nick ignored the voice, he didn't recognize the speaker. When he pulled up and aimed for the woman, Monroe was in front of him speaking in a calm voice. "Hey, Nick, hey."

"Get down!" he cried; because God only knew what this woman would do while Monroe's back was turned, "Get _down_!"

"Nick, don't shoot her," Monroe replied, hands out to the sides as he spoke. Despite Nick's gun at his chest, his voice was calm and Nick got a distinct impression that Monroe knew well Nick would never shoot him.

"No, this is my sister, Angelina!" Mr. Lasser cried.

Nick focused his gaze on the other man, finally noticing that Hap had his arms wrapped around Angelina's waist, effectively preventing her from attacking. With this fact secured, Nick nodded and holstered his gun as Angelina's _woge_ faded. The pain in his head made itself known then and he groaned, a hand going to his head. His fingers came away wet with blood and he winced as pain shot through his skull. "Ow," he exclaimed softly.

Monroe was suddenly right there, taking his wrist and tilting his head up, "Easy now. Let's take a look at that, okay?"

Nick nodded, "Sorry for the gun. I wasn't thinking straight."

Monroe shook his head, "I heard the window break, I'm sure you were in a lot of pain and very confused. Nothing to apologize for."

They got inside and Monroe settled Nick on the sofa, gently cleaning the blood from the cut on Nick's forehead and around his cheeks and eyes from the glass breaking in his face. Once everything was cleaned and the lingering glass shards had been disposed of, Monroe sat back down on the couch. "Feel better, Nicky?" Monroe murmured, allowing the dark-haired man to lean against his shoulder. Nick nodded with a heavy sigh.

"Great, he can go home now," Angelina Lasser snapped from the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded across her chest as she leaned on the doorframe. Monroe shot her a look that said 'back-off' and 'watch-it' in equal amounts, "Leave him alone, Angelina, he hasn't done anything wrong."

"Him being in your house is _wrong_ , Monroe!" Angelina threw up her hands in exasperation, "Why can't you understand that? He's a Grimm! He shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be bandaging his wounds like a fucking nursemaid!"

Monroe growled; a sound that vibrated deep in Nick's bones. Angelina fell silent in the face of Monroe's anger. "Back off," he snapped. "You already broke his car window, I think you can leave it alone."

Nick was quiet through all of this, happy to let Monroe take the lead. Only when Monroe had shot up did he stand and set a hand on the older man's shoulder. "I've got this."

Monroe growled again, but his eyes softened and their glow died when he met Nick's eyes, despite the shudder that traveled up his spine. "Alright," he huffed, heading to the kitchen.

Nick kept himself calm, forcing away images of Hulda, the postman, and Billy Capra with his sweet-smelling pheromones. He breathed steadily, heartbeat calm, and watched Angelina Lasser curiously. "I'm sure this may seem unorthodox. but Monroe and I _are_ friends."

"Friends?" Angelina scoffed, throwing her head back to laugh. "You're a _Grimm_. You can't have friends. You can't feel friendship or anything beyond complete and total hatred, specifically for _Wesen_ and especially to _Blutbaden_ and the _Hexenbeist_. I'm sure if your need to eradicate us hadn't won out, your kind would've died out long ago."

Nick's stance didn't falter despite the fear pressing on his mind. "I know the history between us is messy and full of bloodshed, but I'm not like that."

"No, of course not." Angelina pushed off the doorframe, stalking closer and closer until she stood nose to nose with Nick, looking down at him with glowing red eyes. "No, you aren't like that. You're _kind_ to the _Wesen_ , you understand them. You babysit an _Eisbeiber's_ kids on Fridays and have dinner with a _Lowen_ sometimes. You even made nice with the worst the _Wesen_ world has to offer, willing to speak to and become friends with a _Hexenbeist_. But deep down inside, you're the same as all your ancestors. You only know rage, anger, and hatred. The blood spilled by your hand is of the innocent, the blood of those who've done nothing wrong. You know that, but you don't care." Angelina snarled.

Nick admired her courage. She was standing toe to toe with her worst enemy, nothing but anger and jealousy radiating from her. "You've got what you needed out of Monroe and his roommate. Why the _Hell_ are you still here?" she snarled, baring her teeth.

Nick remained calm, even with Angelina in his face, practically daring him to do something to her. His breathing was steady, his heart rate was calm, his hands didn't shake. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't getting worked up, he refused to do either. Nick was sure Angelina expected him to shove her back and put a bullet in her brain, then go after her brother and Monroe. Nick did neither, instead, he opened his mouth and said, "I live here."

Angelina reeled back like she'd been shot. "You what?"

"I live here. With Monroe. He's my boyfriend. He's marked me as his," Nick unbuttoned and pulled aside his shirt collar, exposing the _Bludbaden_ mark bitten neatly into the skin.

Angelina growled as Nick fixed his shirt. Monroe came back, holding a mug that stated: "Clocks Are My Mistress" and another mug, this one blue with a police badge carefully painted onto the decorative coloring. "Nicky, I made tea."

Nick felt the tension melt off his shoulder as he smiled gratefully and took the proffered mug, "Thanks, Monroe."

Angelina hissed, turning to Monroe, "He lives here!"

Monroe raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Nick _is_ my mate. It would make sense he lives with me."

Angelina hissed again, eyes glowing red, "You mated a Grimm!"

"Before I knew he was one, not that it would've mattered." Monroe supplied helpfully, sipping from his mug.

Nick huffed out a laugh, tucking himself under Monroe's arm and sighing. He felt much better now that Monroe was back. Nick was safe no matter where he stood as long as Monroe was there.

Angelina snarled something and Nick felt irritation well up within him. "You wanna tell me why I'm not arresting her for assaulting a police officer?" he mumbled to Monroe without moving.

Angelina heard him (of course) and snapped, "I was protecting my brother!"

"Yeah, and your ex-boyfriend," Hap put in.

It could've been his still sort-of-ringing ears, but Nick would've sworn that Hap emphasized ex. He tilted his head over to Monroe.

Monroe picked up on his curious question and shook his head fondly, "Yes, she was the one in the story this morning. It was a long time ago."

"This is insane!" Angelina exclaimed, throwing her hands up again. "Three _Blutbaden_ in a room with one Grimm and we're all having a little chat. We should be having _dinner_."

"We just explained he isn't that kind of Grimm," Monroe snapped back.

Just then the front door unlocked and Nick jumped excitedly to his feet. He wasn't often home before Rosalee, but when he was, he would happily greet her at the door. He passed the mug off to Monroe and rushed to the door, happily running over to tackle his other lover in a hug. In the process, he missed everything that was said in the other room, but as Nick caught Rosalee up to speed, Angelina stormed past them and raced out the door.

Nick watched her go, then glanced back at Monroe who was growling softly as he watched Angelina stalk off into the night. "Everything okay?" Nick asked softly.

Monroe nodded, "Yeah, she's just blowing off steam someplace else. Hap is welcome here. _She_ no longer is." Then with a huff, he turned and headed back to the kitchen, Rosalee followed him, "Monroe? Talk to me."

Nick left them to it, preferring to watch Hap instead. Hap looked at Nick and asked, "So you're really a Grimm?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah. It's a new sort of thing."

Hap grinned, "Wow. This is a piece of history right here."

Nick chuckled, "I have some questions if you don't mind. You're brother Rolf had a life insurance policy. Who was the beneficiary?"

"I got the money when Rolf died," Hap replied.

"And who would've gotten the money if you had died in that explosion?"

"Angelina would have. What about it?"

"Maybe nothing. Does your sister have an alibi for the night your brother died?"

"She was in New Orleans, I think. She has a friend up there she visits once in a while. But I don't know exactly."

"Does this person have a name?"

"Adam Haupfman. He's a butcher, but I don't know much else about him." Mr. Lasser stood, raising his glass, "I'm gonna top this off."

Nick nodded, then wandered past the kitchen to find Monroe and Rosalee. They were talking quietly, Rosalee asking if Monroe could trust Angelina. "From what you just told me, she tried to attack him even knowing he was your Mate."

"It depends on the circumstances, but I definitely don't trust her with Nick. She'd kill him the first chance she got. She never could look past her own views to understand someone else."

"She sounds like fun," Nick made his presence known.

"Oh, sure, she's fun. Her version of fun is just extraordinarily bloody and dangerous." Then he glanced between the door and Nick, "She wouldn't hurt her family though. Even at the expense of her _fun_ , she was good about protecting her brothers."

Nick nodded, "Well, we can't let Hap leave the house."

Monroe reached out and pulled Nick into a hug, which Rosalee happily joined. Monroe buried his nose in Nick's hair, pulling in lung fulls of toffee and soil. He smiled, "Hap's got the best protection in the world right here. A _Blutbaden_ , a cop, and a _Fuchsbau_ with sharp ears. He'll be safer here than anywhere else."

Nick nodded and then headed outside to check his car and clean it up, safe in the knowledge that he had two lovers to watch his back if Angelina came back angry. He couldn't shake the idea that Angelina was somehow wrapped up in this case. He trusted Monroe, but something in him was nagging at him to have her run through every database he could get her run through.

He sighed, his instincts were rarely wrong, but this time he really wished they would be. He quickly pulled out his phone and made his way over to the bike that _had_ to be Angelina's. He took a picture of her license plate, then put his phone back in his pocket and prayed he wouldn't have to use it.

That night as they went to bed, Monroe quietly told Nick about a very sensitive spot at the small of a _Blutbaden's_ back. He gently took Nick's hand and showed his lover exactly where it was, a shudder snapping at his spine as Nick's fingertips brushed over it. Nick's breathing hitched, the vulnerable look in his eyes asking why Monroe was trusting him with information that could be used against him. Monroe pressed a kiss to Nick's temple and whispered reassurances to his smaller lover. "Just in case you ever need it," he whispered. Nick hugged Monroe hard, hardly daring to let him go. Almost like he could protect Monroe with the strength of his love. Monroe let him, knowing Nick likely wouldn't sleep well otherwise. Rosalee curled up against Nick's other side, resting her head on his shoulder and humming as she settled in.

Monroe watched as his lovers fell asleep. He couldn't help but think that in another world, maybe he would've let Angelina stay after she tried to go after Nick. Maybe he would've let her coax him into something dangerous. Maybe he would've let her drag him back into a toxic relationship he didn't want. Maybe in another universe, another time, another world; but here and now, Monroe couldn't imagine ever letting Angelina back into life when he had two beautiful and wonderful people to share his love with.

Monroe smiled as he fell asleep, content in the knowledge that he had everything he needed right there in the bed with him.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

The next morning, Nick woke up slowly with a feeling of bone-deep happiness. His alarm went off after another few minutes and he sighed as he quietly sat up and reached over his lover to the nightstand to turn off his alarm. With another sigh and a quick stretch, Nick slid out of bed, quietly crawling around Rosalee to get out of bed and ready for the day. He showered quickly and patiently cleaned his wounds again. He got dressed for the day and headed downstairs for breakfast, knowing the leftovers were still in the fridge from a few nights ago when Monroe had made vegetarian lasagna.

Then the doorbell rang and Nick sighed, changing course to head for the door. He heard the telltale signs of human life in the living room and then the sound of the door creaking open and he rushed the rest of the way. Hap wasn't meant to be answering the door and he prayed it wasn't someone who wanted to hurt him. The gunshots had him reaching for his hip, but he wasn't wearing his service weapon yet, so he settled for rushing over and calling out, "Mr. Lasser?" He grabbed an old magazine and rolled it up quickly. If nothing else, he could use it as a pseudo-dagger.

Someone had stepped inside the house, leaving the front door to bump against the wall, and was standing over Hap with a gun pointed at his forehead. The person stopped dead in their tracks when Nick came flying around the corner, looked at Nick, then fled the house. Nick would've chased after him, but then Hap's cry of pain hit the air and Nick was running over to pull off the hoodie he'd put on and press it to the three bullet wounds in Hap's torso. Monroe and Rosalee appeared at the top of the stairs and Nick looked up at them wildly, "Call an ambulance!"

Hap moaned in pain as Nick pressed the hoodie down to staunch the bleeding. "I'm sorry," he coughed, "I thought... it was pork wings..." his voice was weak, only just able to be heard.

Nick hushed the man softly, "Don't worry about it, Mr. Lasser. We'll get you fixed up. The ambulance is on its way, you're going to be just fine."

Nick's hands were soaked with crimson by the time the paramedics got to them, but the blood was at least slowing by then so Nick just counted his hopes and let the paramedics do the rest. They were loading him in the ambulance when Angelina came rushing over, calling for her brother and demanding to know what had happened. As one of the paramedics asked who she was and then explained what was going on, Nick quietly spoke with Monroe and Rosalee.

"I didn't see his face, he was in _woge_. He looked strange." With a sigh, Nick put his head in hands, arm crossed over his midsection like a band. For a moment, he felt utterly useless, he hadn't been able to get a look at the person who'd invaded his _home_. What kind of cop was he?

Then Monroe pulled him closer, whispered, "It's not your fault this happened," and pressed a kiss to Nick's temple.

Nick sighed again and nodded, "Right."

The unis pulled Monroe and Rosalee away to take their statements just as Hank was pulling up to the scene. Angelina was fighting to go with her brother and Hank sorted it out between them before he was able to get to Nick's side. Angelina climbed into the back of the ambulance, the doors where closed, and it took off, siren's blaring as it raced to the hospital.

Hank made it to Nick, clapping him on the shoulder, "You okay?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah."

"They're hopeful that Hap will live. They said that he probably would've died if you hadn't been there. Did you get a good look at him?"

Nick couldn't tell him that it had looked like a pig. He shook his head, "It happened too fast. I didn't get the best look. Blue and grey clothes, but not much else."

Hank nodded, "You didn't see it, but the woman who just left?"

Nick nodded, "Angelina. She's Hap's sister."

"She has blood on her clothes. You said blue and grey; she's wearing a grey tank top and blue jeans." Hank watched Nick carefully.

Nick didn't want to think about it, but Angelina had given him nothing good, his instincts spinning angrily towards the negative side of things. "She came here last night. Monroe knew her from way back when. He doesn't trust her. Neither do I. She's violent and has motive."

Hank nodded, "I'll pull her for an interview."

Nick didn't interview Angelina, but he watched as Hank did. "Do you have any other brothers or sisters?" Hank asked.

"My parents are dead," she set the glass down on the table with a sharp thud, "Rolf died. Hap is my only family now."

"Any idea who might've had it in for them?" Hank asked.

Angelina was agitated, Nick could tell as she leaned her weight on the table and replied, "No."

"Anybody threaten you?"

Angelina shifted from foot to foot, then seemed to settle in the knowledge that, "Not anyone I'm worried about."

"Then I guess you wouldn't want to spend a little time in protective custody?" Hank phrased it like a question but it wasn't one. Hank knew before he'd even put the question out there that he'd get brushed off, possibly violently.

Angelina scoffed, "Yeah, right. I and a couple of cops holed up in a hotel room. Sounds like some good times to me."

"You said you went to the park, is that how you got dirt on your clothes?"

Angelina gestured to the stain in question, "This? Oh, this isn't dirt, its blood." She leaned her weight on the table again. "But you already knew that, didn't you Detective?" She chuckled, then reached for the hem and without a moment's hesitation ripped the tank-top over her had. She threw the cloth at Hank and snapped, "Go ahead. Test it. Let me know what you get."

She waited until Hank had left to whip around and stare angrily at the glass. "I know you're there, _Grimm_. I can smell you. I don't know what your game is, but I'll figure it out." Then she sobered, face softening a bit, "Thank you for looking after my brother this morning. Hap was the youngest of my family and despite how annoying he is, I still love him. I'm glad someone was there." Then her face pinched, "This doesn't make us even." Then she huffed and sat down in the chair, arms crossed and eyes staring out the window.

Monroe met Nick at his desk when Nick finally got to it. "Rosalee went to the Spice Shop. I thought I'd stay here for another minute, make sure Angelina didn't try to hurt you."

Nick offered a smile, "Thanks." He then had a curious thought, "Why did she storm out last night?"

Monroe sighed, "She tried to attack you when you went to meet Rosalee. I stopped her, but just barely." He huffed, "I thought maybe if she knew that you were mine, she wouldn't attack."

Nick offered a smile, "No, that would be too easy."

Monroe nodded, "It would." Then he hummed, "I was thinking last night, about what would happen if I left. I thought that things would probably be different if I had let Angelina bait me outside. Now, I'm glad that I didn't." He leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, "And I'm really glad you were there."

Nick's smile widened and he leaned over to take Monroe's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, then let go. "I've got to get to work. I'll see you tonight?" his tone was hopeful.

Monroe nodded, offering a smile back, "Of course. See you tonight." He didn't say the words he told Nick so often, but Nick heard them anyway. Nick watched as Monroe headed off, wishing very much that he didn't have to let him go.

"Nick," Sgt Wu said as he appears at Nick's side.

Nick looked over and asked, "Yes?"

Sgt Wu held up some papers. "We ran blood tests on her clothes."

"And what did you get?" Nick asked curiously. He believed Monroe when the older male said Angelina wouldn't hurt her brothers, but he had to follow through with every lead.

"Believe it or not, Bugs Bunny. She apparently had something to do with the death of a rabbit," Wu replied.

Nick took the file and read over the contents, letting himself absorb the information. He thought it over, then nodded. "I'm going to follow up on her house. I'll be back later." Wu nodded and left. Nick reached over to get his jacket when he was interrupted by Hank's arrival. He tilted his head curiously, "What do you have?"

"Angelina's water glass. There were some unknown prints at both brothers' houses. I'm gonna have the lab print this and see what we get."

Nick nodded, then reached out, "I'm heading out to look into a lead, I can drop this off with our CSIs. One of them owes me a favor or two, so he can probably have the results by tonight."

In reality, he just wanted to see his favorite CSI. They'd been in the Academy together, but Benny had transferred into the Crime Scene Investigation unit not long after they did the first big obstical course, deciding that his skills were better suited in that department. Nick had recently discovered the Benny was also a _Blutbaden_ but hadn't let Benny know. He wanted Benny to tell him when he was ready, whenever that may be.

Hank nodded so Nick took the evidence back and headed for the CSI labs. At least now he had an excuse to bug Benny about Ethan.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Angelina threw open the doors to the hospital room, anger in every step she took, "My brother is dead, Hap's lying in the hospital, and they want to hang it on me."

Monroe looked up from where he sat patiently, waiting for Hap to wake up so that the man didn't wake up alone. Hap may have been annoying and boundary-crossing at times, but he didn't deserve his attack.

Angelina snarled softly, "I hate cops. And _you,"_ she turned to look at Monroe, "How could you even be _friends_ with one, let alone mating them."

Monroe raised an eyebrow, "Nick's a good listener. I'd like to think I'd have been around him no matter when we met. Besides, I love him. He and Rosalee are my best friends."

"Whatever, just don't expect them to bust their ass on who hurt Hap." Angelina began pacing the room, furiously turning when she hit the opposite wall and marching until she got to the parallel wall again.

Monroe felt anger surge in his chest at the idea that Nick would let Hap's attacker walk free. He didn't let this anger show, "Nick and his partner are going to do everything they possibly can for this case. Also, you _do_ realize you could be next?"

"Good," Angelina snapped back, "It'll be the last thing he ever tries."

Monroe rolled his eyes, "You don't even know who you're looking for, don't act like such a hardass."

"I can't believe you!" Angelina cried, finally ceasing her pacing to stare at Monroe with sharp brown eyes. "Hap didn't hurt anybody and neither did Rolf. Okay? Hap didn't deserve to get attacked like that and Rolf didn't deserve to die!"

"Angelina, listen to me," Monroe said, "It's not safe right now. Maybe you shouldn't go home for a while."

Angelina hissed, "Why?"

Monroe's phone dinged and he checked it, "Well, among other things, the least of which being that the guy who hurt Hap could get your address, Nick just texted, he said that someone was in your house today."

Angelina stared at Monroe long and hard, "The Grimm was in my house?"

"You're missing the point, Angelina."

Angelina hissed again, "No. I'll see you around." She started heading towards the door. As she wrenched it open, she glanced over her shoulder and hissed, "Tell the Grimm to stay out of my house." Then she was gone with the sharp click of the door's lock scrapping the door frame.

Monroe sighed, then looked at Hap, "Sometimes I wonder what I saw in your sister, man. She's a pretty woman but pretty can only go so far. Her bad temper and no impulse control is going to get her hurt. I just hope that she has someone around who cares about her when it does." Monroe looked back down at the book he was reading and put the thoughts out of his mind. Whatever happened, Angelina could handle herself.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

After chatting with Benny for a minute, Nick got into his car and headed over to Angelina's house. He didn't know what could go wrong but apparently a lot.

When he got there and looked around, he was expecting the place to have someone inside, possibly tied up. He'd entered on probable cause after hearing a cry of pain and a crash. He ended up getting bowled over and thrown to the ground, back hitting the ground with a painful pull on his shoulder. The breath was pushed out of his lungs and he groaned as the attack aggravated the muscles in his shoulder than had been hurt when Angelina tossed him from his jeep. He didn't think he'd hit his head that hard, but he'd have to ask his lovers before he wrote it off completely. Even on his back, his ears ringing slightly, and his vision fuzzy at the edges as he panted for breath, he could've sworn he saw a _pig_ instead of a human.

 _(Angelina's bike pulled into her driveway. She was angry, so angry, her eyes were flickering between red and brown. When she got into the house, two smells hit her. The Grimm's and... She breathed in deep, then her settled on red as her face_ woged. _"Pig," she hissed angrily.)_

When Nick got back to the precinct, having finally managed to get up and go, Hank had gotten the results of the fingerprints. "I got the report back on Angelina's prints. No match at either brother's house. We did get a match on a bloody partial on a double murder from two years ago in Eugene." Hank pulled the files up on his computer, "The victims were brothers, lived right next door to each other."

"Brothers?" Nick asked, pulling the paper filed closer as he leaned down to get a better look.

"Murdered on the same night," Hank added. "Case is still open; no suspects."

"Until now," Nick replied.

Hank huffed out a heavy sigh, "I don't know what those boys ever did to her, but it gives a new meaning to 'you fight like a girl'."

The pictures where bloody and made Nick's stomach turn unpleasantly. He switched the angel of the picture and winced at the empathy pain. The poor men had been torn apart, that much was clear in the stilled images on the treated paper; their limbs and organs strung across the bloodied walls and bite marks in the intact parts of them.

"Now, check this out," Hank indicated a paper and Nick took it.

The moment he saw the names of the victims, things began clicking into place. "The vics were George and Stanley Orson. Same name as our arson investigator."

Hank nodded, "Could be a coincidence, but I found this." He pulled up an article on the computer, appropriately titled, 'Brothers of Local Fireman Murdered'.

Nick scanned the headline, then dismissed it and skimmed the article, eyes catching on the picture. In it was Lt. Orson, hands folded and looking very distraught as a man who looked like Sgt. Wu's predecessor. "I think we have a family feud going on here."

"If it is, then we've got an arson investigator investigating himself," Hank replied, "Which is why he found no evidence at either crime scene."

Nick scanned over the article again, then sighed, "We'd better bring the Captain in on this one."

They found Renard quickly and brought him up to speed. Nick and Hank had explained it as best they could, letting the Captain know everything they knew so that he could make an informed decision.

"You want to bring in Lieutenant Orson for questioning?" Renard asked as they headed down the hall.

Nick nodded, "Yes, his brothers were killed two years ago. We believe Angelina Lasser is responsible."

"We think he figured out she was responsible for killing his brothers and tried to kill her in payback, only one of which was successful," Hank added.

"Well, you think or you know?" Renard asked.

"He's an arson investigator. He knows better than anyone else how to make an explosion look like an accident," Nick replied.

"We have an A.P.B. out on Angelina, how do you want us to deal with Orson?" Hank asked.

"Carefully," Renard replied, "He's got a clean record." He stopped at his office, handing the files back to Hank. He turned and looked at them, "I'm not going to protect a dirty cop, but make sure you're right." Renard looked at both of them with a nod.

"Yes, sir," Nick replied.

"Alright," Hank replied.

They headed off to find their evidence and hoped to do so fast. If Orson was behind this, then they wanted to wrap it up quickly in hopes of sparring more lives.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Monroe was still at the hospital when Angelina came back to the house, so it was Rosalee who got to speak with her. She was in the middle of cleaning Hap's blood off the steps so her lovely boyfriends didn't have to. She glanced up as Angelina kicked down her bike stand, then rolled her eyes and went back to washing off the porch, carefully squeezing the diluted crimson water into the yellow bucket she would be bleaching to Hell and back, then going back to scrubbing the tiles of the walkway.

"Where's Monroe. I know who killed Rolf and attacked Hap. It was a cop. A _Bauerschwein,_ " Angelina said as she came up the steps.

"What?" Rosalee asked, looking back at the woman standing so comfortably on her porch. A long time ago, Rosalee would've been threatened in the presence of a past lover, but she knew well that Monroe was in love with her and Nick. This woman meant nothing to her.

"I picked up his stench at the precinct and then again at my place."

"A _Bauerschwein?_ Killed a _Blutbad_? Are you sure, Angelina?"

"Uh, huh. Where's Monroe? He and I can go after him together and make him pay for hurting Hap."

Rosalee stood, staring at the taller woman in her bloody, crimson eyes. Her glare was just as fierce as a _Blutbaden_ female's and twice as acidic. "Monroe is at the hospital, looking after _your_ brother. Something you should also be doing. Why don't you tell me who it is, I'll let Nick know, and we can go check on your brother together."

"I don't know who it was, but I'm going to find out. And when I do, they'll pay for hurting my brothers. I'm not going to leave this to your Grimm."

"Angelina, it would be better to stay out of this!"

"I owe it to Hap and Rolf! For that matter, so does Monroe!"

Rosalee's eyes flashed dangerously, "You're brother _died!_ He'd dead! The other one is laying in the hospital in a _coma_ and has a good chance of surviving! You lost one brother, there's nothing you can do for him now. You should let this petty feud go and focus on the brother you still _have_." She then turned and leaned back down to continue scrubbing the tiles. "And by the way, Monroe doesn't owe you or your brother _anything_."

Angelina scoffed and leaned over to whisper, "You know, I think you're jealous because you know that if you and the Grimm hadn't been here, then Monroe would've _happily_ gone running with me. Bet you I could've gotten him to fuck me good too. Bet you-"

"If you're going to go fuck up what's left of your life by killing someone, then go, but don't come to _my_ home and insult _my_ partners because you're pissed Monroe stayed here with us instead of running off with you. Monroe left you in the past a long time ago, Angelina. _Grow up_ and _move on_ ," Rosalee snapped back calmly, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn streak of blood.

Angelina growled and left, turning on her heel and stomping back to her bike.

A long time ago, Rosalee may have felt threatened by the thought of another woman coming into her boyfriend's life. She may have torn at Angelina's throat and killed her to keep her away from Monroe. However, this was not a long time ago when she was drug-addled and mostly drunk. Here and now, she was smarter than that. Here and now, she knew Monroe wouldn't leave her for Angelina Lasser. Here and now, she continued scrubbing at the walkway tiles to get the blood up before her partners got home.

Monroe and Nick mattered more to her than some petty woman anyway.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Nick was heading back to his desk after a food break when he got the call. His phone rang and he answered without checking the caller ID, "Burkhardt."

" _Hey. Angelina just came by. She said she knows who killed and hurt her brothers,_ " Rosalee told him. " _She says it was a_ Bauerschwein _._ "

"A what?" Nick asked.

"Bauerschwein," Rosalee repeated patiently. " _A pig. And I don't mean a cop, but this one_ is _a cop_."

"Does she know who?"

" _No. Do you?_ "

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure."

" _Well, best to protect him. Angelina's out for blood._ "

It was then that Nick saw the very man he was looking for. "Okay, I'll take care of it. See you tonight. Love you."

" _Love you._ " Rosalee hung up the phone.

Nick slipped the device into his pocket and hurried after the man. He caught up to him on the stairway. "Lieutenant!" he called.

Lt. Orson looked up, "Yeah?"

Nick hit the stairs as the man stopped and turned. He offered a nod, "Mind if I have a word?"

"Sure," Orson replied.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are sending your case files on the Lasser arson to a Seattle lab to get a second opinion," Nick informed him.

"On what?"

"You're belief that both cases are accidental and unrelated."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's just too much of a coincidence. Two brothers had gas leaks a month apart. Doesn't that strike you as a little strange?"

"I didn't mess it up," Lt. Orson replied, starting down the stairs again.

"An investigator tells the story he wants to be told," Nick said, repeating the words his training officer had once said.

"I tell the truth!" Lt. Orson shouted.

"Yeah?" Nick asked, "Then how about _your_ two brothers, wanna tell me the truth about them?"

With that, Lt. Orson's skin shifted, crawling unpleasantly as he snarled, and a perfect match to the man who's knocked Nick over at Angelina's house stared back at him with a glare.

Nick's self-satisfactory smile said everything he didn't. " _Bauerschwein,_ right?" He still had to push away the memories of past _Wesen_. It was getting easier to do so, but that didn't make it easier on him.

"I don't have a problem with you, Detective," Lt. Orson told him softly. "Our families have never been enemies. You should know that. Let's not change it now."

"Let's not change it?" Nick hissed incredulously. "You came to _my_ home, walked inside _my_ door, to attack my friend while my partners where home. My partners aren't combat-trained; if you'd hit one of them we'd be having a _very_ different conversation right now. You hurt a friend of mine, you think that _doesn't_ change things? If you'd have hit _me_ , what would you have done?"

Lt. Orson was dumbstruck, not daring to answer the furious Detective.

"You'd be running for your life and you know it. You've already _changed things_ , Lieutenant. You changed things the moment you decided to bring a gun into _my_ home." Nick narrowed his eyes to make his point, then left the older man standing in the stairwell.

He called Monroe, "Has Angelina been by?"

" _No, not in a bit. Did something happen?_ " Monroe asked in reply.

"She came to the house while Rose was home, said she knew who'd hurt her brothers and she was going after him." Nick sighed, "And... I hate to say this, Monroe, but..."

" _Better to just say it, Nicky. You'll feel better for it._ "

"Monroe, she's a murder. She killed the brothers of a cop."

" _Oh, that. Yeah, I'm up to speed on that. I told her not to come around the house anymore._ "

"Do you happen to know where she might be?"

" _No, I'm sorry. I'll tell you what I told her when she came by the hospital to tell me about it. I'm staying out of it. This_ Blutbad-Bauerschwein _feud goes back centuries._ Blutbaden _get blamed for every_ Bauerschwein _death, even the suicides. Oh, and if you catch her before she gets out of state be careful. She won't go down without a fight, she kept saying when we were younger about how she'd never let anyone arrest her._ "

"I'm sure," Nick replied, "Right now, I'm just trying to keep them from killing each other or somebody else."

" _Well, good luck, Nicky. I can't help you out this time. They're bringing Hap out of the coma soon and someone needs to be here to keep him calm or he could seriously hurt someone._ "

"Thanks. Hey, before you go?" Nick didn't know why the insecurity in his chest suddenly hit, but it was heavy and Nick just _needed_ to know, "Do you still love Angelina at all?"

Monroe's answer was immediate and firm, "No. _I don't. There was a time when I thought maybe; until I started waking up bulling rabbit fur out of my teeth. That was all eradicated when I met you and Rose. Any love I may have felt for her was gone the moment she attacked you a few nights ago. You can put those demons to rest, Nicky. I don't miss that life, there's no good ending in it._ "

Nick smiled, thankful to have such understanding lovers, "Thank you, Monroe."

" _Of course. I don't want her to die, Nick, but I want you to be careful. She's a dangerous woman and she knows it. I kind of want her to get away, so no one else gets hurt._ "

"Sadly, that can't happen," Nick replied.

" _I know._ _Let me tell you something though, Nicky. I want this guy dead too. Angelina's a bitch, but Hap and Rolf were trying to get better. I think Hap could really do it this time. It's taking all my self-control not to help her, Nicky._ "

Nick understood that sentiment, even if it wasn't smart to say that to a police officer. "I know it's gotta be hard, 'Roe. I'm sorry this happened to you. I'll come by after work and bring something from that tofu place you love. I've gotta go. Love you!"

" _Love you too. See you tonight._ " Monroe hung up first.

Nick sighed, then headed back to his desk. He had work to do, he couldn't go to the hospital now, no matter how much he wanted to.

He was getting to the doors when at least six different officers rushed by him towards the staircase. He noticed Hank standing by the desk and carefully made his way over, avoiding the still rushing officers as he did.

"You mean she's still in the building?" Hank asked into the phone, "Yeah, yeah. We're on our way." He put the phone in the cradle and looked at Nick. "A woman was in Orson's office looking for him. She attacked an officer."

Nick was legitimately scared for a split second, remembering the way that she'd torn him from his car with no effort. "That has to be Angelina."

"She's got some balls, coming in here. How the Hell'd she know it was Orson?" Hank asked as they headed for the room.

"I don't know, but we better find him before she does," Nick replied.

"Unless he's looking for her," Hank pointed out.

Nick seriously hoped not.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Rosalee was just coming in from getting groceries when the click of a shotgun chambering its round startled her into stillness.

"Don't give me an excuse to use this," demanded a portly man with greying hair.

"You need an excuse?" Rosalee asked curiously, "Comforting."

"This isn't between you and me," the man said.

"Then why bring a shotgun?" Rosalee shot back.

"I didn't want to end up on the dinner table with an apple stuffed in my mouth."

Rosalee sighed, "You mind if I put my groceries down?"

The man nodded, "Slowly."

Rosalee did, gently setting the bags down and stepped back from the man.

"I know what you're thinking, _Blutbad,_ " the man started to say.

" _Fuchsbau._ " Rosalee corrected.

"What?" the man asked, "You're a _Fuchsbau_?"

"I live with a Grimm and my species surprises you?" Rosalee raised an eyebrow.

The man shook himself from his stupor, "I know what you're thinking. 'Can I get to him, before he pulls the trigger?' Well, I know you're fast, but this thing is full of double-ought buck. You'd be pulling your teeth out of the back wall before you can sink them into my neck."

Rosalee shuddered, "Ugh, please don't. I hate patching holes. Besides, do we have to go there?"

"Oh, I know you're not gonna tell me where she is, so I won't bother asking. But, I'm gonna tell you something, missy. This ends with me and her."

"You killed a person, sir. You tried to kill my friend and I'm supposed to be okay with that?"

"Your _friend_ was part of the old world order."

"Hap isn't like that."

"Neither were my brothers! And she killed them!" The man looked very sad, then vindictive, "So I killed hers. _T_ _ried_ to kill the other. We're not the same _Bauerscwein_ we used to be. Just give her the message, 'we're even'." He backed up to the door.

"I can tell her. But I don't think she'll listen. She seems very old-fashioned when it comes to _Bauerschwein_."

"Change is never easy," the man replied, "But you can't say I didn't try." Then he opened the door and let himself out.

Rosalee watched him go with a sigh, letting her weak knees fall to the ground as tears came to her eyes. She shakily pulled out her phone and sniffled as she called Monroe. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't, but if anything could calm her down, it was Monroe's soothing voice.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

"Hey, hold up!" called Sgt. Wu, rushing up to Nick and Hank as they prepared to head out. They stopped and turned to face their Sergeant. He stopped in front of them, "I just got a call from the officers checking on Angelina's house."

"Did you get her?" Nick asked.

"No, but somebody torched her house," Wu replied, hands on his hips.

"Any bodies?" Hank asked.

"We don't know. The fire department's still mopping up. We can't get in yet," Wu finished off.

Nick nodded, "You take Angelina's, I'll take Orson's?" He looked at Hank as he spoke. He was still a rookie, no matter that it felt like _years_ since he'd discovered his Grimm powers.

"Yeah," Hank nodded and Nick set off.

He hurried to Lt. Orson's house, hoping to catch the man before Angelina found him. He rushed up the sidewalk and pounded on the door. "Lieutenant Orson? It's Detective Burkhardt." When no answer came, Nick checked the door to find it unlocked. He carefully listened for a moment, then called, "Orson, it's Nick, I'm coming in."

He cautiously came in and cleared the living room, then moved on to the rest of the house. He cleared the house, room by room, carefully peering around corners and down hallways. He heard faint signs of life around the third door he came to. He slowly opened it, wary of it opening inside the room. He walked inside the white and pink colored room, looking around with sharp eyes. He noticed some kind of a thick paste in the bathtub that smelled awful and obscured his view into the bottom. He dismissed the paste and looked around the rest of the bathroom. He was just deciding that maybe Lt. Orson wasn't here when his ears caught the sounds of soft grunting and sloshing water.

He turned and aimed his gun in startlement, finger inching towards the trigger before the person held up they're hands in surrender and said, "Relax, relax! It's just me." Lt. Orson stepped fully from the tub, the thick paste, now identified as some kind of mud, dripping off of him and onto the floor.

Nick watched him in confusion, gaze flickering from the mud hitting the floor to Orson's covered face, "What the Hell are you doing?"

Orson acted like nothing was wrong, which was probably accurate when one assumes that this was probably common in _Bauerschwein_ culture. "Mud bath."

"Yeah, I got that," Nick replied. He lowered the gun and sighed.

"It's a _Bauerschwein_ thing," Lt. Orson replied. This proved Nick's assumptions correct. "It soothes the skin, helps me think," Lt. Orson continued.

"So what are you thinking?" Nick asked, holstering his weapon.

"You know what, I was thinking when you stopped me in the stairwell, a-a-and you figured out what I really was, I was- I was a little freaked out at first." He reached out and picked up the towel sitting on the toilet, beginning to clean himself up. "Then I realized that maybe you being a Grimm- Maybe that's not such a bad thing. We're kind of on the same side."

Nick shook his head, "I don't think so."

Lt. Orson snapped, "Angelina Lasser is a monster. You go after monsters, so do I!"

"You _killed_ two people," Nick replied.

" _Blutbaden_ are not people!" Lt. Orson hissed, then promptly shut up when Nick growled.

"Did you forget who I live with?" Nick asked sharply.

"Detective, I'm sorry. But Rolf was an animal just like his sister."

"And Hap?" Nick asked back.

The man notably didn't answer. "Do-do you know why she killed my brothers?"

Nick shook his head again, "That doesn't matter."

"For _fun,_ " Lt. Orson replied. "For _sport_. It was just something to do on a Saturday night."

Nick had very much had enough of this man trying to convince him that he was in the right. "It's over!" he snapped. Then with a sigh, "Clean yourself up. Put on some clothes." He waited out the 5 minutes it took for the _Bauerschwein_ to get dressed in the living room.

"My brothers worked their entire lives to put a crummy roof over their heads. And then-" A sigh, "This is the first time one of us has gone after one of them. The huff-and-puff days are over." He tossed his jacket down in the armchair he stood in front of, "Now Burkhardt, whatever else we are, we are both cops, and we ought to be working together."

"I'm not working with you," Nick replied. "I'm putting you under arrest."

"This is not about the law, do you understand? This is never gonna be about the law! How are you gonna teach a wild animal-" He cut off suddenly, sniffing the air. Then his eyes widened and he reached for his gun, aiming it at the door.

Nick aimed his gun at the Lieutenant, "What are you _doing_?"

"She's here," Orson replied.

And with a screech of fury, Orson was bowled over and thrown into the couch. Nick couldn't see much, only the _woges_ that overtook both of them. There was growling and snarling, sharp noises from both of the _Wesen_ and Nick wasn't sure who to go after first. He aimed his gun but didn't use it, not wanting to kill either of them. "Get off him or I'll shoot!" he shouted into the battle but was unheard as Angelina bit into Orson's arm.

She was subsequently thrown across the room as Orson tried to stand and run. Angelina launched herself over the coffee table and dragged Orson to the ground, falling over him.

"Get off him!" Nick shouted again.

"You were good to Hap, so I'm gonna give you a free pass," Angelina replied to him, panting as she laid overtop of Orson. Then there were squeals as Angelina buried her teeth in Orson's neck.

Nick was clueless for a split second, then remembered what Monroe had taught him about the _Blutbaden_ weak spot. He didn't have the baton he'd used in his patrol days, nor the wooden bats his ancestors seemed to favor for blunt force trauma, so he raised his hand and drove the sharp part of his elbow right into the bundle of nerves Monroe had directed him to.

Angelina's screamed as she reared back, releasing Orson's neck as she did. She turned and stared at Nick with red eyes on full display. She stood. "Now you're gonna pay," she spat. She advance and Nick pushed away the fear growling low in his stomach. He'd rather her focus be on him than the downed man anyway.

A gunshot rang out and Nick flinched at the sound, thankful his finger didn't squeeze the trigger. Angelina fell to the ground with a harsh thump and Orson stood with a grunt of pain. Nick rushed forward, holstering his gun as he did. "No!" he shouted, rushing forward and grabbing Orson's gun from his hand as he passed. "No."

There was a crash, but when Nick and Orson turned, Angelina had gone. Nick ran out the front door, but there was no sign of her on the streets. He noticed the blood trail and followed it, but it cut off at the street where Nick assumed Angelina had fled away on her bike. He went back in and called for backup, watching after Orson until it got there. When they did, people combed over the scene, collecting what they could and leaving what they couldn't for the cleanup crew.

Paramedics came in and tended to Orson. Nick watched as he was wheeled away, only to have him pause and say, "Sometimes being a cop gets in the way of what you have to do."

Nick sighed and replied, "No. I think you lost sight of what being a cop was. I hope you understand better one day." He nodded to the medics and stood to the side. He watched as Orson was wheeled out the door.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

At the hospital, Monroe was thanking whatever god was listening as Hap finally woke up. "Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot," Hap replied with a smile, then coughed weekly and groaned. "Oh, what happened? Where's Angelina?"

Monroe sighed, "I didn't want to tell you this, but Angelina's gone away for a while. She's laying low somewhere, I don't know where she went. Her house was torched and everything."

Hap groaned again, "Oh, what did she do this time?"

Monroe chuckled a bit, "She killed two men about two years ago and finally had to face the consequences."

Hap nodded, "Is everyone else alright?"

Monroe nodded back, "Yeah, everyone's fine. I'll get the doctor, don't go back to sleep yet."

He stood up, then felt his phone buzz in his pocket. A picture of Angelina appeared on the phone and Monroe declined the call. The phone buzzed again, this time, a picture of Nick. He picked up, "Nick."

" _He's in custody, she's been shot._ "

"Do you know where she went?" Monroe asked as he stepped outside Hap's room.

" _We're still looking for her. Any advice?_ "

"No, you won't find her. A lot of people have tried, myself included. If she doesn't want to be found, then she won't be." Monroe sighed, feeling the effects of the little sleep he'd gotten the past night.

" _Got it. Any other advice?_ "

"No, just." Monroe sighed, "If you do happen to find her, don't push. Things will get ugly fast if you do." Monroe replied. Nick agreed and they exchanged 'I love you's before Nick hung up.

"Are you Monroe?" asked one of the nurses as she came closer.

"Yeah, could you get a doctor? Hap woke up," Monroe replied, gesturing inside the room.

The nurse nodded, "Sure." Then she held out the picture frame she carried, "A lady at the front desk wanted me to give you this."

Monroe took it, finding it to be a picture of Angelina, Hap, Rolf, and their parents. "Is she still there?"

The nurse shook her head, "No, she left. I'm sorry.

Monroe shook his head, "Don't be. Thank you."

The nurse nodded and left.

Monroe stared at the picture as he went back inside Hap's room. From inside the room, through the open window, Monroe heard the howling of a wolf who felt totally alone. Angelina's howl lasted a long while as she said goodbye to her first and only love. Monroe sighed as he headed to the window and looked out it. A figure of a woman stood on the sidewalk alone, the distance made it hard to make her out, but Monroe knew who she was. He watched as Angelina turned and walked away, leaving her brother and ex-boyfriend behind.

"Goodbye, Angelina," Monroe whispered to the night. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

With that, Monroe closed the window and turned his attention back to Hap.

**Author's Note:**

> (1) What his favorite is I leave up to your imagination. I personally like to think he loves fantasy worlds like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson or science fiction like Frankenstein.
> 
> (2) It bears mentioning that I deleted this line: not even in the shitty retail jobs he'd done during high school and college when he was very sleep-deprived and was running mostly on too much caffeine, extreme stubbornness, and pure will power. I based this purely on my own experiences with high school, retail, fast food, and what I've been told, read, or seen about college.


End file.
